Marsabit’s drought could be getting worse

Drought and famine are threatening the livelihoods of northern Kenya residents who depend on meat and milk for food and income.

Marsabit, home to several pastoralist communities, is one of the counties that has suffered the severe effects of the frequent drought. About 15 years ago, a blanket of green plantations could be seen all over the landscape around Marsabit town.

Today, however, all that can be seen dotting the harsh and dry lands in most parts of the region are carcasses, with no leafy vegetation in sight.

The weather in this area is becoming more severe and dry with very little or no rain experienced by the residents.

According to the Marsabit Central deputy county commissioner Kipchumba Rutto, the situation is likely to worsen in the future with natural water sources depleting, animals dying and crops failing.

Rutto revealed that about 95 per cent of Marsabit Central’s population, about 47,000 people, is at risk of food insecurity as a result of the on-going drought, which he attributed to the dry weather conditions the area has experienced in the past six months.

Rutto says the Government is yet to provide the required amount of food to the region’s drought affected population.

Kenya Red Cross has been in the forefront of providing relief to drought stricken areas in Marsabit, but it is still not enough.

Experts predict that it will be another four months before the rains fall in some parts of Marsabit.

If more is not done to forestall starvation for those facing famine and in need of immediate food assistance in the following months, more residents in Marsabit will be left with no alternatives on how to meet their basic survival needs and will be forced to watch their livestock die.